A Little Fallen Bird
by Automail-gHost
Summary: If you lose someone important, you will go to any lengths to get them back. That's why when the young justice team loses their little brother, they will do anything to bring him home, but what if Robin isn't who they came searching for anymore?
1. Just Another Day

**Author's note: YO! ^.^ **

**This is my first FanFic so hope it's decent. It might not be... Ohhhh welllll. Anyway, I would love Reviews! I want to learn where I can improve or make the story better! Also, I apologize for anyone who is OOC, I will try to make it realistic. :D**

**So! Read, R+R, and **_**LOOOVE**_** it! ;3**

**Disclaimer: I'm sorry if it's not already obvious to some of you people out there but, you are on a site called FAN FICTION! ****FAN**** being the operative word here... PLEASE ****Gain**** common sense and ****LOSE**** the urge to sue me! XP **

_Thoughts..._

_/_Link up/

"Talking."

Narration...

**Enjoy! ^.-**

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><p>"<em>Bat soars through the sky,<em>

_Stays in the night,_

_Bird flies behind,_

_And follows with delight."_

"_Bat Shields little bird, Protects it with black wings,_

_Bird watches the rear, for all the ugly things."_

"_Bat and Bird,_

_Forever to fly together,_

_Until Bird Falls,_

_And the little Robin bird shines red like amber."_

_**Chapter 1 **__**–**__**Just Another Day.**_

The wind whistled slightly as a few of the drafts buffeted against the mountain, some finding their way into the cracks or openings. All was strangely still, for a moment, nothing dared to breathe...

...Ok, moment's over.

"WALLLLLLLLYYYYYYY!"

The yell echoed painfully off every surface, penetrating every inch of the base until it was as if even it shook with fear.

With the remnants of the yell still rattling around in their skulls, the residents of Mt. Justice stumbled out of bed to find the cause of their wake up call.

Connor came into the main room first, followed by the Atlantian, Martian, and the boy wonder. What greeted their eyes was a sight to behold. Artemis was circling the couch, with eyes on her prey, he could not escape.

Wally West, (a.k.a her prey) was circling around as well, but a small smile on his face mixed with worry said that as scary as the archer was right now, he was still slightly enjoying himself.

"What is going on here?"

Kaldur stepped forward in one fluid motion and the commanding presence of their team leader emerged.

Artemis snapped her head to the Atlantian, blood-lust in her eyes, she looked ready to kill. Before she could mouth her fury Kid Flash cut her off.

"It's about time! Common guys, back me up here! It was an accident!"

Before they could even fully comprehend what he had said Artemis' booming voice filled their ears.

"YOU...!" She stopped suddenly and sucked in breath to calm herself. She then snapped her eyes to the rest of the group, a plan only she could see starting to take shape.

"Stay out of it Kaldur'ahm." She said in a calm voice still furious.

"Superboy! Robin! Get over here and hold him down!" She barked at the two, a curious expression visible on both. (Except Superboy because he was just that, Superboy.)

Next, she directed her attention to the Martian, spinning quickly on the spot.

"Megan!"

The surprised girl snapped to attention, wondering what Artemis wanted.

"Don't worry about breakfast." She paused and turned away from the confused Miss. M to face Wally, a small grin appearing on her face.

"We're having deep fried Wally West." She said with a smirk, by the look in her eyes everyone could clearly see how much she was going to enjoy this.

The small nervous smile that Wally had been sporting slipped from his face.

"Haha, you're joking. You ARE joking, right?"

His voice sunk a little bit lower with the last part as he began to sweat. His shoulders were slightly raised and he was now slowly inching more and more behind the couch, it as if he was subconsciously trying to hide from the furry that was approaching him.

Artemis' smirk just grew larger and she took a menacing step forward towards the VERY worried boy.

But sadly, she wouldn't get the chance to exact her sweet revenge, because at that moment they heard the all too familiar sound of the transporter pad telling them someone was arriving.

"_Recognized, Batman."_

Her only comfort was to watch the hysterical scene unraveling before her. Kid Flash breathed a heavy sigh of relief and collapsed on the couch, muttering something along the lines of, "Saved by the Bats".

By that time, the so called "wonder boy" was gasping and almost rolling on the floor due to his bursts of hysterical laughter, but was now trying to regain some sort of composure so as to look slightly more presentable to his mentor who was walking in here in,

3,

2,

1...

"I have an important mission for you."

Oh yeah, it doesn't get better than this.

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><p><strong>Soooooooooo, what do you think? Leave me a review so I can find out! <strong>

**Sorry about the short chapter, and sorry about the kind of stupid ending, I couldn't think of a better way to end it! **

**.**

**Anyway, please R+R, I want to improve! Also, the poem is SO mine! I had a lot of fun writing it, and later on, it will make sense, trust me on that ****one. **

**Oh and by the way, it does get better, you'll see. ^.-**

**Have a nice day! **

**~Automail-gHost**


	2. The Mission

**Author's Note: Hi guys! Sorry I haven't updated sooner, my life has been complicated... To any of you who want to know, my puppy just died. **

**I've been having a hard time finding the will to do anything let alone write an actual GOOD story. I don't know how well I did on this newest chapter so leave me a review so I can get back on the right track or just change it in any way. **

**Also, I wanted to give a great big thank you to all of those of you who reviewed my last chapter; they were so motivating and made me so happy! **

**And one more thing before we move on, my puppy's name was Zim; he died at a mere 6 months. He was the best Chihuahua that ever lived. **

**I am going to be starting a story within the next few days that was inspired by my sweet baby. If you want me to post/continue it I will be happy too, it is a Fanfic about Young Justice and is a Robin centric. It is not going to have Zim anywhere in it but I just thought of it while thinking of him. **

**If you love Chihuahuas or if you care even the smallest bit about a dog you never met, than please put a few words on your profile dedicated to him. He was 3.4lb, black and white, my own personal squirrel, was adopted, and died suddenly without a single warning. If you want to hear more about him please feel free to pm me, also, it would make me more than happy if just one person could keep him alive with a few words, to me or to the public. **

**Anyway, if you have no interest in this than I'm very sorry you had to read that annoying piece of sentiment. **

**I will try to continue to write, I have countless more ideas but I could really use some support.**

**So, without further ado, I hope you like the chapter!**

_Thoughts...  
>_Link up/  
>"Talking."<br>Narration...

**Enjoy! ^.^**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 2 –The Mission<strong>_

Batman remained strait faced but the sight that greeted him would have discouraged any team "captain".

They all reminded him of 6 year olds, or just young bickering siblings, he supposed that it was to be expected, the main cause of this disturbance was Flash's nephew after all.

This is what the Dark Knight of Gotham saw when he entered the living room of the Young Justice's base:

Bickering, annoying, dysfunctional, hopeless, naïve, and really just a group of _teenagers_, he had to remind himself that they were actually capable of doing more than argue and show off.

He was however, amused by the look his ward no, his son was sporting. It had been a while since he had seen Robin so happy, he had his defined but small arms wrapped around his middle as if he thought that maybe if he gripped tight enough he would be able to squeeze the last of his laughter out. Even through the boy's cowl Batman could see the pure joy sparkling in the eyes he knew all too well.

Aqualad was standing slightly hunched over as his head shook back and forth, with his hand over his eyes the young Atlantian looked mortified as his team slowly digressed in age around him.

Superboy on the other hand couldn't care less; all that was on his mind was the remaining disdain and wanting to hit the cause for his lack of sleep.

He wasn't blessed with a good night sleep like everyone else, the memory Cadmus still stained his dreams the color of his pain. Little did the boy of steel know at the time, but his pain and recurring dreams would seem as easy as breathing compared to the horror he inevitably would see.

Megan looked out of place, rocking back and forth on her heals she was sinking deep in thought. The poor Martian girl was still thinking about what Artamis had said, seriously considering the possibility that she had been serious.

Megan knew that she was unfamiliar to this world and its culture but the furious archer wouldn't really try to cook Wally, would she?

Contemplating that thought she continued to move, almost completely oblivious to the scene around her.

Wally had collapsed on the couch, he was arguing about something inaudible with Artamis. He looked relieved but also nervous, agitated, the reason why was obvious.

The green clad sniper had her eyes locked onto the couch; she wanted to maim the boy that slouched there in some way. She looked like she might even be willing to risk it in front of THE Batman.

The dark vigilante wasn't called the world's greatest detective for nothing; he looked them over with highly trained eyes, the pieces of the puzzle at hand all too obvious to Gotham's own personal Dark Knight. He had to restrain a smirk when the last clue snapped into place.

Now that he knew he also realized that this would cause problems if one of them decided to kill the other before their enemy even had the chance to. Now, to get them to cooperate...

"_I have an important mission for you."_

Everyone's eyes locked onto Batman, they had instantly stopped whatever they had been doing and began to stare at the Dark Knight with piqued interest. Their figures were all alert, moving to shift their positions they all subconsciously and consciously readied themselves for immediate action.

It was Aqualad who broke the heavy silence that ensued.

"What do you need us for?"

Batman's eyes shifted as he locked onto the Atlantian, his solid glowering expression continuously etched into his face.

"It's not the kind of mission you are used too; this is a track, hunt, and take down job."

Continuing with blunt force he spun on the spot and started streaking towards the large computer screen, without ceasing to speak he reached the monitor in record time. Without a word the Young Justice fell in silently behind the now furiously typing figure, all the while listening intently on his every word.

"Your mission is to track a group of Robbers or thieves,"

Just as Robin opened his mouth to complain Batman made one motion that dried the sounds before they even left the boy's lips.

With one hand raised he continued strongly.

"This is not your normal garden variety thieves Robin."

He paused only so he could bring up a video feed on the gigantic holographic computer screen.

Instantly an image appeared, momentarily dark it took until the door to what seemed like a fancy store to open for anything to be seen through the thick night. Out emerged three or four relatively large men, they all wore what seemed to be blank masks until one turned to yell something back into the light pouring from inside. Suddenly light streamed across an eerily white face as vaguely familiar face paint made Robin inwardly jump.

_Joker._

Upon seeing his ward's _almost_ unnoticeable reaction the Dark Knight began to speak again.

"No, it is _NOT _the Joker; it is however, either a pathetic attempt at a knock off or..."

"Or they are his new and improved psycho squad." Robin solemnly finished.

"Correct."

At this point there were quite a few jaws that were having to be caught so as to prevent them falling to Batman's feet.

"Bu-bu-but I thought he was in Arkham Asylum! He can't have escaped! Could he?" Wally blindly stammered.

After shaking off the initial information he had started ranting at high speeds, he had heard horror stories about the Joker, and now he's escaped.

A cold dark gaze met the almost twitching Kid Flash, hardening even more if that was at all possible.

He answered in a grave tone.

"Yes, he could. And he did."

"Three nights ago a guard was found dead and the monster himself was gone."

A collective shiver shuddered through those who knew the seriousness of this situation.

"Your mission is to track and locate these men." He continued gesturing up to the paused photo.

"They have been sporadically robbing museums, jewelry stores, and banks. The only proof we have that it might be related to the Joker is this."

With one movement he reviled one of his arms previously hidden by his cape and shot something into the air.

Robin reacted first and caught with ease the blurred object. He turned it over in his hand and showed the small thing to the room.

He sucked in air fast upon realizing what he was holding.

It was the madman's calling card; an almost perfect portrait of himself, the card of the joker.

"You are NOT to try to locate or fight the Joker," The black vigilante continued.

"This may be an unrelated incident but either way, your job it to prevent them from stealing anything else and to capture them as covertly as possible. If this is the Joker's work, then we don't want to tip him off."

Pausing, he swept the room with his nerve racking Bat glare, stopping on each teen in turn he made sure they got the point.

They all nodded their heads fervently, trying to avoid the Dark Knight's scrutiny.

"You will split up into teams of two, each one covering a different lead."

They all tilted their heads ever so slightly at this new development, as they each in turn snapped to attention when their names were called.

"Aqualad, you and Superboy."

"Robin you and Miss Martian will work together."

"Artamis and Kid Flash, you two WILL cooperate."

Every word dripped with authority and the finality of his decision, also the obvious emphasis he had put on _WILL_.

Over all the pairings were ideal, except for one.

The instant Batman finished, Kid Flash started buzzing relentlessly on the spot as he bit down nervously on his lower lip.

He swallowed loudly.

"Uhm, is there any way possible for me to go in, you know, solo?"

He faltered slightly at the end, his eye brows knitted together as he looked up at the black vigilante with pleading eyes.

A pointless effort.

"No."

Wally's eyes quickly darted away from the Dark Knight and locked onto the blond archer who, at the moment, looked like if Batman wasn't here she would be slaughtering him, slowly, painfully.

She settled for cracking her knuckles and watching shivers run up and down the almost panicking speedster's spine.

"Heh, heh, heh, is anyone else hearing the evil music in the background or is it just me?"

His nervous laughter filled the void as it echoed around the silenced room.

...

"That's it.

Rain check please, I'm OUTTA here!"

Tapping into his super speed Kid Flash zipped to the transportation pad, hoping that he could get there fast enough.

Unfortunately for him, you can't slip past the Dark Knight no matter HOW fast you are.

With sniper like precision Batman was half way across the room in an instant and in the direct path of the retreating Wally West.

As he tried to dart around the figure that was now in his way, Kid Flash let out a small gasp when he ran right into a steel hard arm which had shot out into the exact spot the unsuspecting speedster was bouldering into.

Proceeding instantly to a grab the momentarily dazed yellow "sidekick" by the scruff, Batman spun around on the spot and started walking back towards the awe struck teenagers who all but two were having a hard time comprehending what they had almost not been able to see.

After reaching his original position, the Dark Knight took no time in being "gentle" with the disgruntled teen that had given up trying to free himself from the larger hero's _one_ arm.

He dropped/threw Kid Flash in such a way so as he skidded ever so slightly and subsequently fell face forward at the feet of the rest of his team.

After trying and failing to stifle their giggles and or cackles, they all received a Bat glare that instantly bore into their souls, easily shutting them up.

However, that may have worked on the volume and _some _of the grins; it had no affect on the colorful boy wonder.

He swallowed his cackle hastily though so as to be respectful to his "father".

His smirk however, lived on; refusing to vanish from the face that was now _attempting_ to look serious.

After shutting off the power of "the glare" he continued as if absolutely nothing had just transpired.

"Before you will be allowed to leave you WILL resolve what happened this morning, understood?"

Not waiting for their reluctant reply he finished his orders.

"You have 15 minutes, be ready."

And with that he left the speechless super teens behind as he streaked off towards the zeta beam transporter pad.

"_Recognized, Batman, 02"_

_..._

After a few minutes of pounding silence someone finally dared to break it.

"Soooooo, what happened this morning?"

KF noticeably sunk were he stood, shying away from imminent fury.

He eventually caved to Robin's ever so blunt question.

"Wellll, I was bored..."

But he didn't get the chance to finish as he was interrupted by a growl of a voice that came from behind him.

"You call that an excuse?"

Yelping slightly the scarlet speedster took no time in zipping as far away from the murderous Archer who had suddenly appeared in his blind side.

She had fire burning in her eyes and revenge itching to be sought as it egged her on.

"Umm, maybe? Ahhhh! Don't kill me!"

Artamis had lunged forward; she truly looked like she would kill him. She was only stopped by Kaldur extending an arm and holding her in place.

"Calm down."

Crossing her arms she receded slightly, giving in, just this once.

"Fine."

As she started to return to her original position, she quickly spun on the spot.

"You." The green archeress growled with deadly intent.

"Tell the truth, or your dead. Got it?"

He gulped loudly.

"Uh huh." He said in a small voice, beads of sweat starting to appear.

"Good."

And with that she resumed walking, a smirk present on her face as she marched back to the patiently waiting team.

"Ok then, KF? Care to fill us in?"

"Alright." He finally sighed, defeat hanging on for dear life.

================FLASHBACK==============

The morning was cold as the night continued to be unyielding to the persistent sun, grasping at its hold in the sky, it clung on until the very last second.

It was a Saturday morning; the whole team had spent the night for once in their new found home at Mount Justice. It was a relatively normal morning except for a few things.

First of all, Robin was not awake. This was far from normal, his normal sleep schedule was: Wake up before everyone else and go to sleep long after when normal humans go to sleep.

Also, it was undeniably quiet, even for early on a weekend morning usually _something_ was happening. Lastly, the prince of laziness, Wally West was awake, this was not a good sign.

Still being dark out with only tints of color staining and seeping at the edges into a stubborn sky, Kid Flash, had nothing to do.

For some unknown reason, the hyper-active scarlet speedster had woken up waaaaaay before any one else.

Proceeding to run around the ENTIRE Mountain he was desperately searching for something to entertain himself with. Finally, after doing a complete sweep and wiping out almost all of their breakfast supplies, he paused for a few seconds.

_SOOOOOOO BOORRRREEEDDDD! This is terrible! There must be __something__ here to do! Somewhere! OH! I know! I'll go bother someone! _

And with that he sped off, stopping at each door in turn, never spending more than a few milliseconds in front of each.

_Aqualad? No, no, don't want to bother him..._

_M'gann? No, I don't want to wake her up..._

_Connor? God no! He just might kill me! *shudders* Talk about death by broken bones..._

_Robin? NO WAY! If he's tired enough to actually sleep, he must be EXAHUSTED! If I woke him up... Yeah, after burning my soul to a crisp with his bat glare he would probably stab me with something... Not a good idea..._

_That just leaves one person..._

At that moment he skidded to a halt in front of the said person's room.

_Perfect! _

He let a sly grin spread across his face.

He slowly opened the door, there was a lock on it but he made short work of it. After rubbing his hands up against a countless number of times he then gave the now weakened metal a good _thump _and it was off.

He poked his head around the entrance, after peering around the room he was surprised when he did not find a sleeping form in the bed that lie there.

It was when he decided to take a step into the room that he heard a noise coming from the separate door that was closed to his right.

_Huh, that's weird. She must have not spent the night here. I was sure she did... Oh well._

_I wonder what that noise is though; I guess she forgot to turn something off. Strange..._

After deeming the room empty he took another full step inside and quietly shut the door behind him.

By that time he was no longer tip-toeing and started to meander around the archer's room. Wanting to savor the moment, he moved around at a normal pace, his grin getting larger by the second as he messed with every object he could find.

Sadly, he couldn't locate any items possibly worth black mail or even anything interesting.

_Hmmm, this is so much fun! Who knew that I would actually see inside of here? I have been curious about it for a while now. If only there was something here! There's only some posters and I think txt books nothing of intre... What's this? _

His sight locked on to an object he had just found while rummaging through her dresser, it was black leather, very worn, and it had her name on it, only it wasn't a book. It had hand written pages inside.

_OH YEAH! It's her diary! Oh man this is awesome! Absolutely perfect! Now, let's see what's inside shall we?_

With his eyes brimming with anticipation and his giddy form jumping up and down slightly he opened the book to its first page...

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><p><strong>Soooooo? What did you think? I worked really hard on it so I hope it is as good as the first chapter, this one sure as heck is longer. Anyway, please review! They make me write fast, they inspire me too. ^-^ <strong>

**And thank you for being patient with me, I'm sorry it took so long to update. I will try to write faster in the future, in the mean time, REVIEW! Please? I loves them... _._**

**ALSO! Can you guys guess what is going to happen? How about what else Wally will do to seal his fate? OR! How about telling me how you think Artamis should kill him! The suspense... **

**So anyway, I'm going to be traveling this weekend so if I don't update, blame it on that! ^.^**

**OK, so, the next chapter things start to really heat up! **

**I think the rest of the team will probably hate me for this... That is if Wally lives that long...**

**Kid Flash: Wait a minute, what do you mean by that?**

**Oh, nothing... ^.-**

**Kid Flash: I'm so dead. v.v**

**Until next time!**

**~Automail-gHost **


	3. Falling Fast

**IT LIVES!  
>Oh, my, GOSH! I'm so sorry I've been gone so long! DX <strong>

***Dodges projectile***

**Eeeek! I'm sorry, please don't hate me! T^T**

**It has been just one thing after another, and like a said previously, it takes awhile to revive dead inspiration. I mean seriously, what's with everyone and time skips? I swear; it's happened to Fairy Tail, One piece, and NOW YOUNG JUSTICE! What happened to the good old days when your favorite TV shows/Mangas didn't do spontaneous 360's on you?**

***Heavy sigh***

**Anyway, onto more pressing matters that you might actually want to know about:**

**One:**  
><strong>I am going to focus from now on, just one Young Justice FanFic. Whichever is the most popular will be the one I will work on for the moment. FEAR NOT! The stories that aren't chosen will <em>not<em>be abandoned! I have decided that having three stories all in the same category all at the same time is really confusing! Since each of my stories have so much depth to them and details already figured in my head, I don't want them to accidentally start to bleed together you know? So, once I get decently far into the chosen fic, I will pick the others back up.**

**Two:**  
><strong>I may be challenged with working on fics in the same universe but that says nothing about other categories! *Cue Evil laugh*<strong>  
><strong>You see, my inspiration is very fickle; Flitting from one show to the next depending on the phase. When I'm in a phase, I'm all psyched up and I am most inspired at these times, but that also makes it extremely hard to focus on anything else. SO! I figure, if I have at least one fic going from multiple sources, no matter how much my inspiration flops about, I will still be able to write stuff for you guys to enjoy! XD<strong>

**Three:**

**...**

**I HAVE _28_ REVIEWS FOR BROKEN FATE?**

***Automail starts hyperventilating***

**Oh…my gosh…. I can't…. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! XD**  
><strong>Words cannot describe how happy I feel right now!<strong>

**And you! Yes You! You know who you are. :) I'm shouting out to all the people that cared enough to leave me a review. You all have made writing and creating these stories more than worth it. So I wrote you all an update; I hope it is worth the wait. ;D**

**NOW! Read on beloved readers! READ ON! T-T**

_Thoughts...  
>_Link up/  
>"Talking."<br>Narration...

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>With his eyes brimming with anticipation and his giddy form jumping up and down slightly, he opened the book to its first page...<em>

**Chapter 3 – One False Step**

One page turned into two, two pages turned into four, and before Wally knew it, he was absolutely and completely enthralled by the small book and dead to the world around him. A light pink began to dust his cheeks as more and more of the green archeress' secret thoughts spilled from the diary into his fast reading eyes.

So oblivious was he that he did not hear the faint squeak of hinges or the draft of warm air that blew into the dark room.

As Artemis casually slipped through the bathroom door, she was none the wiser to her unwelcomed guest. After giving her towel covered hair another squeeze, she let the damp thing fall to the floor in a heap.  
>The habit of leaving lights off at an early hour grated slightly on her nerves as she fumbled towards her dresser. Her eyes already adjusting to the sudden dark she came to a solid stop; thoughts preoccupied on the day ahead, she didn't notice the figure next to her. Her slender fingers grasped the edge of the soft towel where it was tucked in under her arm, but midway Artemis froze.<br>She slowly turned her head towards where she swore she had heard a small gasp. It was there, that with a thin sheet of fabric draped loosely around her pale arms, and Wally's face as red as his hair, their gazes met.

In the split second it took Artemis to piece together what was going on, the speedster went numb with shock and his fingers dropped the irrefutable evidence (besides his presence) of his snooping.

_What the-?_

_Wait a minute… What is Wally doing in here?  
>In my room…<br>Reading my DIARY?!  
>SPYING ON ME?!<em>

Her face turned beat red and her eyes burned with a fury even the bat-glare couldn't touch.

Like a horrible volcano, the anger and rage built and built until the extreme pressure could grow no more.

She screamed.

"_**WALLY!**_"

…

Time seemed to slow down for the yellow speedster, and for the first time since he became Kid Flash, he couldn't get away fast enough.  
>The fiery archeress began pelting multiple sharp and pointy things where he had been standing not a millisecond before, violently chucking anything and everything within arm's reach.<br>Wasting no time in chasing after his retreating form, she dropped her towel, tied up her long mane like hair, and slipped into her suit with precision and speed only born from years of donning the thing.

The thick green spandex clung tightly to her slender figure as she bolted out of her room, random weapons and dropped poisons trailing after her.

Moving way too fast for indoors Wally jerked and weaved barely slipping through the sudden sharp turns and corners as he sped through the mountain. After a few seconds translated into eternity he made the fatal mistake of looking behind him...While still moving.

The crack rang off the walls down the corridor as the yellow speedster slammed into it head first. He slowly slid down the wall until he landed in a befuddled heap smiling stupidly.

"Now Artemis, we can be reasonable right? We can negotiate like humans, right? Oh there you are, all nice angry, you've caught up to me…And there are two…of…you…OHMYGOSHI'MSODEA-"

He didn't finish his sentence; for as realization dawned upon his slightly concussed mind, his brain caught up to what he was seeing and his legs quickly obliged to help him scramble back into motion.

Fury could not begin to describe the look on Artemis's face, neither could rage; in at least Wally's mind, she appeared to be a fiery demon sprung from the Earth to steal his soul.

…

"WEST!  
>WHEN I GET AHOLD OF YOU, YOU WILL WISH I WOULD BE SO MERCIFUL AS TO KILL YOU! I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU TO BITS, BURY YOU, BRING YOU BACK TO LIFE, TORCHURE YOU, THEN FEED THE LEFTOVERS TO WOLF!"<p>

Yep. That sums it up quite nicely.

Though his body was just a blur, it could be argued that a long cry for his mother echoed behind him.

After rushing out into the living area, he thought he might be safe, but any delusions of safety were squashed by the entrance of enraged archeress burning with righteous fury right behind him.

================FLASHBACK END==============

The team varied levels of shock and surprise as his last words of regalement flowed about the room.

"So, yeah!" he finished lamely. "Now that that's out of the way, let's get this show on the road!"

Wally's pathetic attempt of marching away with his dignity still intact failed miserably when his feet suddenly stopped gaining traction by way of a hand gripping his collar tightly.

"Where do you think you're going hmmm?"

Her gravelly voice dripping with venom, Artemis was making a solid attempt at proving looks could kill with her malice laced glare, or at least do some serious damage.

For those who could look at this event and find the absolute humor in it and enjoy it (Meaning Robin), watching the understanding work its way through the teens minds was really quite hilarious.

Aqualad for one, being who he was, remained composed in his own dignified manner, but his eyes still widened comically.

Megan however, with cheeks flushed and hands pressed over her face in a desperate attempt to hide her embarrassment. The young Martian's mind was on a heated rollercoaster; weaving from sympathizing with Artemis' ordeal, and imagining herself and a certain Kryptonian in the same situation.

Robin on the other hand looked like he was about to pass out from lack of air and over exposure to hysterics.

Even Superboy was astonished; his usual blank frown was slightly shifted as he raised one eye brow out of surprise and amusement.

He might have chuckled, but no one ever knew because at the time, nothing could be heard over the loud cackling.

Finally, Wally.

He looked like he was on the receiving end of one of Batman's Bat glares; because for like the certainty of Batman being scary, he knew he had no escape this time.

Any thoughts for escape however, were crushed by the sudden oppressive silence. Before the teens could even fully register the lack of cackles, a mischievous voice started to echo off the vast walls.

"Not that this hasn't been enlightening, but I would prefer to not be the one who breaks Batman's deadline. Our 15 minutes are officially finished in about oh, I dunno... 54 seconds?"

A momentary pause followed as the retreating bird let his words sink in.

"One more thing; not only is Batman watching us as we speak but he also has penalties lined up for all those unfortunate enough to not be in the bioship 44 seconds. I would start ruuuuuningggg!"

Even after fleeing for his life that morning, Wally wasted no time in blazing the way to the departure bay with the others following close at his heels. He was already on the bad list of one devil, he couldn't even think of maddening another.

With M'gann's feet meeting the ground of her transforming ship, they set off with only 6 seconds to spare.

...

Far up in the atmosphere, the Dark Knight slid his chair away from a small monitor; he couldn't help but feel a small sense of disappointment.  
>A tiny smile graced his lips, as his thoughts drifted; his gaze fell upon the blue planet just beyond the windows.<br>It was there, in the Justice League headquarters, that many a horrible training course ideas were crafted into existence.

* * *

><p>On a normal day, it is a very long trip to Gotham. On this day however, it would be an eternity.<p>

The Bioship's atmosphere was sparking with tension; with Artemis sharpening various objects and glaring in Wally's direction, as well the anxious quiet that followed it, the entire team was on edge.

In a desperate attempt to lighten the atmosphere and distract certain furious parties, M'gann turned to the youngest member of the team and with a nervous voice, asked what she thought to be a good question.

"Robin, since we are not as experienced with Gotham's criminals as you, could you please tell us about the Joker?"

He went rigid; always one to recover smoothly, he blended his sudden movement into a non-suspicious shift in position.

His head cocked to one side, numerous thoughts streaming behind his masked eyes. But before he could decide on what he should filter out of his description, Connor cut him off.

"He's insane right? Doesn't seem like much of a threat-"

"You couldn't be more wrong."

With her ship being on auto-pilot, Megan felt no qualms about turning her head with the others to stare at the small boy. He continued on, his voice shadowed by dark memories and deep understanding.

"It's _because_ he's insane that he's so dangerous. He has no value for life; he would just as soon cut down a child as he would a henchman who had served his purpose.  
>He kills without remorse, without feeling. He kills because he can, and because in his twisted mind, it's funny. His demonic face has been the last thing countless people have seen before their lives are snatched away by that madman."<p>

Robin's covered eyes met his teams, his friends; and with a fierce determination in his eyes he continued. "Even if we don't face him directly, we still have to be on guard."

Without another word, his gaze fell back to the reports streaming across his computer interface's small screen.

The silence that followed next was by far the worst. They all were experiencing varied levels of shock, repulsion, and horror; the morning's events shoved to the back of all their minds to be forgotten. After that, very few words besides the occasional strategy or battle plan were spoken.

_-Four Hours Later-_

A silent shadow slipped and flipped over the vast rooftops of Gotham. With ease the figure navigated the complex routs and was not deterred by any obstacle. After another gravity defying stunt, Robin came to a smooth halt. He inhaled deeply, the familiarity of the foul smells made him nostalgic.

He grinned toothily.

"Oh Gotham, how I've missed you so!"

Before he had the chance to begin his surveillance again, an annoying voice rang out in his mind.

_/How on Earth can you miss this cesspool of a city? It's awful here! /_

He chuckled in response.

_/It'll grow on you Wally. Besides, anyplace's charm becomes visible after you've been gone for a few weeks, like me. /_

Another deeper voice chimed in.

_/Back to our mission. Has anyone spotted anything unusual? /_

_/Nothing on my end, and I've almost run my sector twice! /_

_/No action here either, it's strangely quiet. /_

After Robin's response, the others threw out their own agreements and observations. They all pointed to one thing: Gotham was too still.

It was as if the entire city was holding its breath, almost like it was waiting for something.

From the time they split up to do reconnaissance to now, not a single illegal act was committed and that was unheard of in this dark city.

The small bird continued his search, practically flying from one rooftop to the next, barely stopping for a breath along the way. This intricate dance was cut short when he froze mid-jump as a blaring alarm slammed into his ears.

Black locks swayed above the roof's edge as he peeked cautiously over the side.

_"Joker's minions at 12 o'clock."_ Was the first thought to flurry through his mind as he watched the scene unravel before him.

Completely ignorant of the wailing alarm, burly masked men rampaged through the small bank. If they wanted attention, they got it.

_/I got a bank robbery here guys. They are definitely working for Joker. I'm in the Industrial section; sending my coordinates now. /_

There was barely a breaths pause before Aqualad's calm voice echoed through his mind.

_/We are on our way Robin. Don't take any action without us. /_

_/Aye-aye captain! / _Came his teasing reply. _/Wouldn't dream of it. /_

It was not long before the team of young heroes were assembled on the tall building. It was the Atlantian who spoke first.

"Alright, we have to be strategic about this. We can't rush in thoughtlessly without endangering the hostages.  
>Robin, you will be in charge of distraction. We'll need your cover in order to get the civilians out.<p>

Miss Martian, you will take Artemis inside and find a place with a good vantage point for her to provide backup. When I give the signal, you along with Wally will have the task of disorienting, disarming, and beginning to subdue the thugs.

Superboy, you and I will get the hostages to safety. Once the civilians are in the clear we will begin our assault as well. Does everyone understand?"

With a series of confidant nods they slipped into the night, disappearing to their planned locations.

_/Everyone in position? /_

Kaldur received a chorus of 'aye's' in response. He took a deep breath, hardened his gaze and through their mind link shouted with all the authority he could muster.

_/Go! /_

Shocked yells filled the air when an explosion of smoke flooded the building, followed by the surprised exclamations claiming their weapons were being torn from their grasps.

In the chaos, Robin leaped to ground level unnoticed and began to sneak up to the whimpering hostages. At his light touch they quickly whirled on him but were silenced by his quiet signal to remain calm. He then went about slicing their bindings; being only 6 of them total, he had them free within seconds.

Slowly he guided them through the calamity; grunts, shots, yells, and shouts of rage enveloped them on all sides as they were carefully guided by the small bird to the exit. It was then he met up with Superboy; Aqualad already engaged in the battle, it was Connor that was given the task of getting the civilians the rest of the way out.

Having complete faith in his teammate, Robin didn't give them a second glance as he charged headfirst into the action.

After assuring himself that his friends didn't need any assistance he quickly proceeded to knee an unsuspecting criminal in the gut knocking him to the ground. Before his foe had the chance to retaliate, he mercilessly elbowed him in the face, breaking his nose and swiftly rendering him unconscious.

The fight continued on in the same manor, the closest call being a lucky villain who if not for M'gann would have landed a pretty bad blow to Robin. Seen from above, she had lifted the sly thug just in time and promptly slammed him hard into one of his partners.

At some point, the brawl had begun to move outside the building; the combatants so focused on the battle were completely unaware of their surroundings.

It was on the stone steps that Robin was snatched up from behind. Not missing a beat he swung his legs upward and agilely wrapped them around his capture's neck. Using his momentum, he pushed off the man's shoulders slipping easily from his grasp. Before he had time to recollect himself, the small bird gripped a small pressure point on his neck dropping the man instantly.

Just as he was about to ram into the next enemy, a malicious laugh rang down upon them. Like someone had pressed pause, everyone froze mid punch. The laughter grew louder and more psychotic and everyone's gaze was drawn to a figure silhouetted on the building's roof. The voice that came next sent shivers down the teen's spines.

"Looky what we have here! The little baby bird without his bat. I see 'ol Batsy is letting you spread your wings; you better be careful or someone might clip them off."

Joker's crazed voice trailed off menacingly, before his lips were pulled taut over yellow teeth.

"Let's put a smile on those faces! After all, I went to all the trouble of getting you all a surprise gift!"

As the last words left his mouth he pulled a remote out from behind his back.

"But first, a riddle. Ever wonder why nitroglycerin explodes?"

Even before the madman hit the button, Robin came to the horrific realization of what was going to happen. Without regard to his remaining men, Joker was going to set off a bomb. His masked eyes widened and his jaw dropped in shock.

He turned to his frozen teammates and screamed with all he was worth.

"GET DOWN!"

As the words left his lips, the button was pressed, and the whole world turned white.

* * *

><p>...<p>

Ringing.

That was the first thing Connor noticed. He groaned loudly as he hefted a chunk of rubble off his back. His blurry eyes began raking the wreckage for his teammates, a single green limb poking out of the debris made his heart stop.

"M'gann!"

The urgency in his voice translated into his movements as he tore through the building remains in a desperate attempt to reach the Martian.

The instant he was at her side he began to toss the wreckage burying her in every which way. As he lifted the final bit of rubble trapping her she let out a small moan. Connor wasted no time in gently cradling her in his arms, caressing her face soothingly.

"Are you OK? Are you hurt?"

Copper eyes blinked up at him; upon coming to grips with her surroundings and the events leading up to them she smiled lightly.

"I'm fine. Are you-"

She was cut off by the loud tumble of Kaldur digging himself out of the ruined building. After he was freed, he took a few seconds to catch his breath. Soon, he had recovered enough to begin piecing together what happened and start searching for his team.

"Is everyone alright? Who's injured?"

A gravelly voice answered first.

"I'll live; no permanent damage that I can see."

"I'm OK too," Came the normally loud speedster's response. "Took a pretty good knock to the head though. M'gann?"

At her name she sat up, albeit a bit shakily and gave her best reassuring smile.

"Connor and I are both alright as well. How long were we unconscious?"

Artemis shook her head lightly before answering. "I don't know, a few hours I think. Look, the sun's coming up."

Wally was about to say something himself when simultaneously realization dawned upon him and the others. There was no lighthearted laughter, no cocky remarks, and no silly word puns.

One of their team was missing.

Almost as if he was afraid of the outcome, Wally hesitantly called out for his best friend.

"Robin?"

Silence met his voice. The second time the others started to join in, slipping more fear into their tones than before.

"Robin?!"

"ROBIN!"

But there was no reply.

Because Robin, The Boy Wonder, was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>I… I can't believe this! OMG! I finally finished it!<strong>

***Silence***

**Oh right…. My cliffy…..**

**I AM EVIL! MWAHAHAHAHA- *cough cough choke***

***Ahem* Any who... REVIEW! PWEASE! XD**

**They make me happy inside. ;D**

**On another note:**

_**PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING NOTICE!**_

**I have a challenge for all of you! It's a quiz more like... Anyway, my question for all of you who would like to participate is this:**

"**Can you guess what is going to happen?"**

**I want to see where you guys think this story should progress to; also, maybe one of you will give me an answer that will somehow be incorporated into the story! ^.^ **

**Of course there will be no spoilers but either at the end or close to the final chapter I will let you all know who guessed right and which ideas went into the story! **

**Anyhow, I hope you liked the chapter and I will try to get the next one out as soon as possible. ^_^ **

**Have a nice day!**

**-Automail-gHost**


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